This Is How We Should Preach

(Compiled from notes on lectures of H. H. Mahavishnu Goswami)

The following is what I have written down from a short, but most valuable instructive class with His Holiness Mahavishnu Gosvami Maharaja, on the Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.15, given in London, July 9,2008.

kecit kevalayaa bhaktyaa
vaasudeva-paraayanaah
agham dhunvanti kaartsnyena
nihaaram iva bhaaskarah

kecit -- some people; kevalayaa bhaktyaa -- by executing unalloyed devotional service; vaasudeva -- to Lord Krsna, the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead; paraayanaah -- completely attached (only to such service, without dependence on austerity, penance, cultivation of knowledge or pious activities); agham -- all kinds of sinful reactions; dhunvanti-destroy; kaartsnyena -- completely (with no possibility that sinful desires will revive); nihaaram -- fog; iva -- like; bhaaskarah -- the sun.

"Only a rare person who has adopted complete, unalloyed devotional service to Krsna can uproot the weeds of sinful actions with no possibility that they will revive. He can do this simply by discharging devotional service, just as the sun can immediately dissipate fog by its rays."

Going through the word to word equivalents, Maharaja immediately made an easy-to-remember acronym for the translation of one important word in the verse, paraayanaah. "Without depending on APKP: Austerities, Penance, Knowledge-cultivation and Pious activities."

Maharaja explained the method of preaching: First learn the verse, then the word to word equivalents and then the translation. Then study the purport. This is how we should preach, so that it can be used in any verse. Recite slowly and clearly, so that the hearers also will be benefited. This is the secret of preaching - so that they can know what you are talking about. This is how we should preach. Learn the verse thoroughly, and by that remembrance, remember the points from the purport. Otherwise, when we speak, we speak just what´s on our mind. We should stick to Bhagavatam always.

Afterwards, when Guru Maharaja mentioned to us that he had called for his good disciple Sarvaishvarya Krishna Prabhu to come over from America, and after hearing some of his glories from Maharaja, I said that it´s good I get to know my Godbrothers, so that when I get bewildered, I can call them. Gurudeva most kindly immediately cut that ignorant statement by saying that illusion is not in our dictionary; because we are engaged in unalloyed devotional service, we are never bewildered. Maharaja concluded by saying, "we don´t need anything. Just chant and read Bhagavatam, that's all. We can be anywhere, we´ll just chant and read Srimad Bhagavatam. If required, we can stay under a tree, just chanting and reading Srimad Bhagavatam, we are happy."

Chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna

Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama

Hare Hare

and be happy.